Fort Worth Police Accidentally Declared a 14-Year-Old Dead

It was a chaotic scene overnight as emergency vehicles and news crews descended on the 3000 block of Hanger Avenue in Fort Worth. Details were scarce, but Fort Worth PD said that a 14-year-old boy had been shot in the face a few minutes before midnight on Thursday and that...

By Eric Nicholson

December 27, 2013

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It was a chaotic scene overnight as emergency vehicles and news crews descended on the 3000 block of Hanger Avenue in Fort Worth. Details were scarce, but Fort Worth PD said that a 14-year-old boy had been shot in the face a few minutes before midnight on Thursday and that a 24-year-old was in custody.

Police still weren't sure if they bought the 24-year-old's story that he'd been showing the gun to the teen when it accidentally went off, but they made one thing very clear: the teen "died from a single gunshot wound."

Not quite. Around noon today, Fort Worth PD issued a statement upgrading him from dead to critical condition. How exactly the mixup happened they don't say, though sergeant Kelly Peel apologized for any confusion.

The teen is being treated at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

Send your story tips to the author, Eric Nicholson.

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